Refrigerator



April30, 1940. F J 2,199,245

REFRIGERATOR Filed April 22, 1939 Inventor": Delbert F Newman,

iv a

is Attorn ey.

Patented A r. 30, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REFRIGERATOR Delbert F. Newman, Schenectady, N. Y., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application April 22, 1939, Serial No. 269,432 I 8 Claims. (01. 62-89) unit, the receptacle tends to assume a relatively low temperature due to its proximity to the cooling unit, especially during defrosting periods when the ice on the cooling unit melts into the drip pan. As 'a result, air contacting the under surface of the receptacle is cooled below the dew point and therefore condenses on the receptacle. This condensation may drip onto the articles stored in the refrigerator. It is therefore an object of my invention to provide a new and im proved means for preventing condensation on the under surface of the drip tray or other receptacle disposed below the cooling unit in a refrigerator.

Further objects and advantages of my, invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize my invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

For a better understanding of my invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a household refrigerator embodying the principles of my invention; and Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view, partly in section, of the shield shown in Fig. 1.

I have shown a household refrigerator I provided with heat insulated walls defining a refrigerated food storage compartment II provided with an opening II! in the front wall thereof and a heat insulated door l3 for the opening I2. The refrigerator I 0 is cooled by a refrigerating machine including a cooling unit or evaporator I4 arranged in the upper portion of the refrigerated compartment II. The remaining portions of the refrigerating circuit have not been illus-- trated in the drawing and any suitable arrangement may be used. A plurality of shelves l5, one

shielding means II.

In order to minimize the As illustrated in Fig. 2, the shielding means or baflle I1 comprises two spaced-apart sheetlike members I8 and I9 maintained in spacedapart relationship by means formed of relatively poor heat conducting material such as a' continuous non-heat conducting gasket extending around the periphery of the baffle IT. The members I8 and I 8 may be formed of any suitable material but I prefer to use metallic plates, such as aluminum.

In the refrigerator III, the air in the refrigerated compartment II is usuallymaintained at a temperature of approximately 40 F. by circulating currents of air set up in the refrigerated compartment H by the cooling unit I4. In order to prevent the formation of moisture on the lower plate I8, which is remote from the cooling unit ll, of the baflle or shield II, it is de-' sirable to provide the surface of plate I8 directed away from the cooling unit I4 with a surface which absorbs radiant heat in order that the lower plate I8 may readily acquire substantially the same temperature as the box air. This result is preferably obtained by anodizing the exterior surface of the shield member I8 although any other suitable surface may be used as enamel, for example. In some instances it is preferable to minimize the emission of heat from the shield II to the drip tray I6 and evaporator I 4 as by providing shield member IS with an upper or exterior surface having a low coefficient of emission of radiant heat. This result may be accomplished by polishing the outside surface of plate I9. I have found in most cases, however, thatit is not-necessary to polish the upper surface of plate I9 so that, if desired, an unpolished sheet may be used or the plate I9 may be finished in the same manner as plate I8.

The continuous gasket 20 is made of any suitable resilient non-heat-conducting material, pref 40 erably rubber, and in the form illustrated in Fig. 2 is provided with two longitudinally extending spaced-apart grooves 2| and 22 for receiving the edges of plates I8 and I9, respectively. With this arrangement, a dead air space is provided fications will occur to those skilled in the art. For example, it is not necessary that the exterior surface of shield member l9 contact the bottom wall of the drip tray l6 so that if desired, the drip tray l6 may be supported by a shelf l5 in the conventional manner while shield I! may be supported below the shelf l5 and drip tray iii in any suitable manner, as by hooks engaging shelf I 5, for instance. However, the shield I! should be adjacent the drip tray l6 so that the space between the bottom wall of the drip tray l6 and shield I! will not be large enough to permit a substantial circulation of air therebetween.

While I have shown a particular embodiment of my invention I do not desire to be limited to the particular construction shown and described and I intend in the appended claims to cover all modifications within the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a refrigerator having a plurality of walls defining a food storage compartment, a cooling unit and a receptacle therein, a shield arranged beneath said receptacle .and adjacent thereto, said shield comprising a plurality of members maintained in spaced-apart relationship by means of a peripheral sealing element, the surface of the member of the shield most remote from said cooling unit which is directed away from said cooling unit having a relatively high coefficient of absorption of radiant heat.

2. In a refrigerator having a plurality of walls defining a food storage compartment, a cooling unit and a receptacle therein, a shield arranged beneath said receptacle and adjacent thereto, said shield comprising a plurality of members main-- tained in spaced-apart relationship by means of a peripheral sealing element, the surface of the member of the shield most remote from said cooling unit which is directed away from said cooling unit having a relatively high coefiiciency of absorption of radiant heat, and the surface of the member presented to said receptacle having a relatively low coefficient of emission of radiant heat.

3. In a refrigerator having a food compartment and a cooling unit and receptacle therein, a shield in said compartment arranged beneath said receptacle and adjacent thereto, said shield comprising a plurality of members maintained in spaced-apart relationship by means of a peripheral sealing element, the exterior surfaces of said shield having relatively high coefficients of absorption of radiant heat.

4. In a refrigerator having a food compartment, and a cooling unit and a receptacle therein, a shield below said cooling unit and supporting said receptacle, said shield comprising a plurality of members maintained in spaced-apart amazes relationship by means of a continuous resilient non-heat-conducting sealing element, said element having a plurality of longitudinally extending spaced-apart grooves for engaging said members.

5. In a refrigerator having a food 'nnpartment, and a cooling unit and a receptacle therein, a shield located below said cooling unit and supporting said receptacle, said shield comprising a plurality of members maintained in spacedapart relationship by means of a continuous resilient non-heat-conducting sealing element, said element having a plurality of longitudinally extending spaced-apart grooves for engaging said members, the surface of the member of the shield most remote from said recepticle which is directed away from said receptacle having a relatively high coefficient of absorption of radiant heat.

6. In a refrigerator having a food compartment and a cooling unit, a receptacle therein, a shield located below said cooling unit and arranged to support said receptacle, said shield comprising a plurality of members maintained in spaced-apart relationship by means of a continuous resilient non-heat-conducting sealing element, said element having a plurality of longitudinally extending spaced-apart grooves for engaging said members, the surface of the member of the shield most remote from said receptacle which is directed away from said receptacle having a relatively high coefiicient of absorption of radiant heat, and the surface of the member presented to said receptacle having a relatively low coeflicient of emission of radiant heat.

'7. A shield member for use in a refrigerator having a food compartment and a cooling unit and a receptacle therein, comprising a plurality of members maintained in spaced-apart relationship by means of a continuous resilient non heat-conducting sealing element, said element having a plurality of longitudinally extending spaced-apart grooves for engaging said members, an exterior surface of said shield having a relatively high coeflicient of absorption of radiant heat.

8. In a refrigerator having a plurality of walls defining a food storage compartment. a cooling unit and a receptacle therein, a shield arranged beneath said receptacle and adjacent thereto, said shield comprising a plurality of spaced-apart members, means formed from material of relatively low heat conducting characteristics maintaining said members in spaced-apart relationship, the surface of said shield directed away from said cooling unit having a relatively high coefiicient of absorption of radiant heat.

DELBERT F. NEWMAN. 

